Cost Analysis: Double Edge vs. Cartridge Razors

I had a request for a cost analysis of double edge vs. cartridge razors, and frankly it’s one that I’ve wanted to write for a while now. A nice shave is important, not only because it makes you feel good, but because it turns what was once a boring chore into an enjoyable method of treating yourself. However, the most accessible method of shaving, what you can pick up in the grocery store, is usually not the best way of going about a good shave. To make matters worse, the better method has a much higher up-front cost. However, over time, the double edge razor will begin to pay for itself.

Cartridge Razors

You can see pretty clearly that the cartridge razors appear to be the better deal here. However, we haven’t started shaving yet. Let’s see what happens once we add in use.

So realistically, you should change your double edge razors every week, and your cartridge razors every two weeks. I think this is a good average, but it really depends on how often you shave. I also know people who go for months without changing a cartridge razor, which is going to give you a terrible shave and bad razor burn. Because that’s not the goal here (we’re just comparing the cost of good shaves), let’s just work on this running assumption.

So, in a year period (52 weeks) you’re going to use 52 double edge blades, and 26 cartridge razors. This means in the first year, you’ll spend around $4.68 on double edge blades, and around $55.46 on cartridge blades, which changes the first year annual costs as follows:

Notice that your first year annual double edge razor cost is actually less than your upfront cost because your pack of 100 blades will last you over a year. Also notice that shaving cream and any brushes are not included in this formula because you would use these regardless of your shaving method.

If you thought thought those numbers were depressing, consider the following. Over the next decade after the first year (assuming price points stay the same and not accounting for inflation) you will spend around $47 on double edge blades alone, and around $555 on the cartridge razor blades alone (assuming you don’t have to replace that cheap cartridge razor body in a decade–which is highly unlikely). If you stick with the stainless steel or chrome double edge bodies, they will last you a lifetime. Not only are they stronger than anything the cheapo razor companies will produce, but they come apart very easily into three pieces, which makes for easy cleaning.

11 Years of a Double Edge Razor: $99.68
11 Years of a Cartridge Razor: $619.46

In conclusion, as you can see, not only will the double edge razor give you a better shave, but it will come out much cheaper in the long run once the extreme differential in blade price catches up to the extreme differential in the one-time payment of the razor body. The extra upfront cost is nothing compared to what you’re going to pay Gillette for their ridiculous blade cost.

What do you think? Is the extra upfront cost worth the long-term savings? Discuss it in the comments below.

But this doesn’t mean you should chuck your cartridge razor just yet! Cartridge razors are better for traveling for several reasons. First, since cartridge blades last about 2 weeks, you only need to bring one blade. Also, double edged razor blades are not allowed on planes, which means you would need to check your luggage. And who wants to pay $25 each way when you can carry everything with you for free?

I just flew with my safety razor without checking, and it worked great. What I did was I left the blades at home and bought a 2 dollar 5 pack of astra stainless blades from a knife shop near my destination. Also, if no knife shop/shaving supply is near where you’re going, a lot of big retailers carry blades that will work in a pinch (albeit, a mediocre shave result.)

Herb

My first comment disappeared, so I’ll try again.

There are also cheaper double edged razors out there, which saves a little bit more money. And though arguably not a cost saving, you can recycle double edge razor blades, whereas cartridge razors create a lot of unnecessary, non-biodegradable waste.

http://www.electrogent.com Electrogent

True. There are a lot of variables that can change the price, this is just one illustration of the concept.

Tom

Very true. In fact some of the best DE razors are the very popular old Gillettes, such as the Super Speeds. Depending on (cosmetic) condition, these can be had for as little as $10 in antique stores and online auctions. That’s about the same amount a new, plastic Fusion razor will cost you, and you get something made of metal that could conceivable last your entire life.

http://www.facebook.com/tom.venanzio Tom Venanzio

I have been using the cartridge razors for years. Does the double edge razor give a better shave?

http://www.electrogent.com Electrogent

It absolutely does. All blades can cut hair, but if you use a double edge razor you will come away with less irritation and razor burn because you’re not eating up your skin with 5 blades, when you could get it done with 1.

Tom

In my opinion, it’s fairer to say that a DE absolutely *can* give a better shave. You can get a bad shave from anything out there.

The fact that a DE can give you wonderful shaves with ten cent blades, if you take a little time to learn the skill, makes the choice a no-brainer.

Peter White

I have been using the same double-edge razor since I was a teenager and I’m now 64 years old. I can still get blades for it and it still performs better than any cartridge razor I have tried. I laughed when Saturday Night Live did a fake ad for triple bladed razors in response to the introduction of double bladed disposable razors. Now the joke has become reality.

Casey Atkins

It seems that collectively society knows on some level that these multiblade cartridges are a bad deal. I hear guys complain about how the prices are a rip off all the time. Unfortunately the marketing forces behind them are very strong and almost all the men’s shaving shelf space in retail stores are dedicated to them.

Village Barber UK

All that these larger shaving product companies are doing Casey is cashing in on men’s ignorance when it comes to shaving. After all, who teaches a guy how to shave?
When you are made aware of the ‘mechanics’ of shaving – I.E. you’re scraping a sharpened piece of metal across your skin – you quickly realise why only the one blade is best!
Cartridge blades are responsible for many of the problems that men encounter such as razor burn and ingrown hair therefore, when you combine the superior cosmetic affects with the overall costs, DE razors win hands down!

Casey Atkins

I admit I was never taught to shave. My step dad gave me a can of shaving cream and some disposable razors and let me figure it out.

When I discovered traditional wet shaving I was amazed at how well it worked for me. No more tugging and pulling, very little irritation, and I could shave every day if I wanted to. Now that I’ve developed my technique I don’t even get irritation and I always got irritation with Gillette’s Mach 3 razors.

I had always figured the market had moved away from safety razors because they weren’t as good as cartridges but it turns out this impression was wrong, dead wrong.

Casey Atkins

It’s possible to have an even lower starting cost with double edge safety shaving too.

RazoRock, for example, makes good quality safety razors you can buy for under 20 dollars.
A good vintage Gillette Tech can be found on E-bay for under 25 maybe under 20 if you’re savvy.

I found a cheap no name safety razor on Amazon for under 8 that’s actually quite good for the price too but be careful at the under 10 dollar price point because there is some junk out there too.

kd

Over around a 25 year peiod I’ve bought 2 plastic double edged razors. the first one I knocked and dented one side in the middle very erarly on in the piece (maybe aged 17). The second one is still going strong, 23-odd years later. Visiting my parents around 10 years ago, I found that old razor, which my dad had obviously been using for occasional beard cleanup. Used a cartridge recently (during a discussion on the relative merits of cartridge versus safety with a friend on facebook, due to the need for me to replace my bulk pack of razors for the first time in a decade). I found that for heavy under chin growth the cartridge would probably be useful for preparation, but the safety does a much better job. I got some Feather blades as well, with the new batch of blades, and they’re superb.

OldDad

There is also there issue of waste. I do not like all the plastic that cartridge shavers produce. Each one, a testament to your shaving, will probably have a longer life span than the Parthenon!

Chris Spiroff

Good article, but a little off on costs. checking now on CVS website, an 8 pack of Fusion cartridges is $31.50. When I used the Fusion razor, one cartridge would last one week. for one year, it comes out to over $204 just for the blades. When I switched to DE shaving, and found the blades that worked for me (Personna Red), I was able to get 100 blades for $20. Still using one blade per week, so now enough blades for just under two years. Using these examples, the 11 year cost (including $45 for a Merkur razor), comes out to $155, and just cartridges for the Fusion would be $2244.

Glenn

I break it down a little simpler, and it’s just a clear which is the way to go for the cost-conscious consumer, as well as for the health-conscious consumer, but i won’t get into that right now.

I received a nice lifetime-quality DE razor set as a gift for my birthday one year, and Fusion/Mach 3 handles, if you shop in the right places are actually given away free with the pack of carts. So apples to oranges, carts vs. DE blades, can gel vs. shave soap and purchasing one shave brush per 10 year period (approximately, these do wear out over time).

Criteria: My face hates every cartridge that ever was produced. On a good day, I would get 4 days on a cartridge (mach 3 worked best for me) before the blood started showing up on the outside of my face. With a flawless Astra SP blade, I get 14 shaves, 2-passes per shave, per blade. That’s 28 times across the face with no issues. BUT for the sake of argument, I’ll say I only get 5 days on a DE blade. That levels the field a bit.

DE – blades and a good quality, relatively non-toxic soap, estimated 4 bars per year, $25.16/annual. (I’m spoiled, so…) A high quality unclipped boar bristle shaving brush, average expected cost, $2.50/annual, to be replaced with each new decade. Total annual cost ~$28

Cartridge – Assuming my preferred Mach 3 and a free handle, plus 4 cans of gel annually, total cost for one year is ~$225.

At that rate, I could add one tippy-top-of-the-line, all stainless, can’t-buy-anything-more-expensive, DE razor body to my collection each year, and still just about break even. Only that’s not true either, because the razor bodies maintain a pretty good resale value, leaving me with assets to liquidate if money becomes a problem. Johnny from the block ain’t buying my old soap-scum-crusted Mach 3 handle, I’m betting… you don’t see too many of those on Pawn Stars…

Rt1583

I see everybody talking about how good a DE razor works but I never see the issue of time thrown into the equation.
How long does a 100 pack of DE blade actually last? A razor is a very fine edge which is much more succeptible to rust/corrosion than the face/body of the blade. Assuming one week per blade, are you actually getting as good a shave 100 weeks in?
I call B.S. on anybody who says they are, unless they are storing their blades in cosmoline.

glm38

A 100 pack of DE blades will last years. Many years. That has been proven. The blades are individually wrapped. I’ve never had one rust or corrode. DE shaving is the way to go from both a cost and performance standpoint. And that’s no B.S.

watfordjc

All the blades I have bought are individually wrapped in paper, with part of one side of the ‘body’ of the blade stuck to the paper, presumably to keep it centred and reduce the risk of the blade slicing through the paper and becoming loose.

Also, the blades come in little boxes containing 5 blades, with around half of manafacturers using cardboard for the boxes, and the other half using plastic boxes that are wrapped in cellophane.

Even ignoring the packaging, most of the blades I have are made from stainless steel which is less corrosive than carbon steel, and the blade edges from various manafacturers are coated with the packaging stating various coatings from “chrome” and “platinum” to “chromium-ceramic platinum tungsten polymer”.

Try em all

I had a bulk pack of Wilkinsons, bought around 1978. They started to rust around 2003. So say around a 25 year life.